Kenya's opposition leaders stage anti-electoral body protests

Kenya's opposition leaders and their supporters on Monday held street protesters in Nairobi and other parts of the East African nation to press for the removal of top officials at the electoral body.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, ex-Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula, former foreign affairs minister led their supporters in peaceful protests outside the offices of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) calling for the commissioners' exit.

Other protests took place in major towns such as in the coastal city of Mombasa and lakeside city of Kisumu which witnessed some brief violence with the police.

The demonstrators however got into trouble with the hundreds of anti-riot police officers who had been deployed to guard the IEBC headquarters in Nairobi when they started hurling stones at police officers.

Several shops were closed in the Nairobi city amid fears of looting by the opposition supporters who briefly engaged anti-riot police in running battles in some parts of the central business district.

The opposition leaders later addressed their supporters vowing to continue pushing for removal of IEBC Commissioners by staging similar protests every Monday.

Odinga maintained that he would not participate in 2017 election if the current electoral body will not be reconstituted.

"We are here to tell Kenyans and the whole world that Cord is not a criminal outfit. We love peace and we will hold peaceful demonstrations," Odinga said.

Cord, or Coalition for Reforms and Democracy, is currently the official opposition party in Kenya.

The opposition leader maintained that the protests will take place until the commissioners, led by chairman Issack Hassan, are sent home permanently.

"We cannot keep quiet as one sharpens a dagger to harm us. We will continue with anti-IEBC protests until Isaac Hassan and his team of commissioners leave office," he added. Endit